Thousands of teens in the United States lose their lives in traffic accidents each year. This is why it is important for teens to understand that great caution must be taken while driving.
Here are some safety tips for teens, as well as drivers in general:
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1. Know Your Vehicle
You just got your license and now you’re anxious to start driving. Prior to operating your vehicle, though, be sure to understand how your vehicle works.
Read your owner’s manual to become familiar with things like indicator lights, buttons and controls. Learn basic car maintenance, like how to check oil levels and tire pressure, locate a spare tire, change a tire, and open your hood. Be sure your vehicle has an emergency kit inside.
2. Drive Defensively
Car crashes can be dangerous and expensive, as they can cause your insurance rates to go up. You can avoid them and lower the risk you experience while driving defensively.
Driving defensively involves anticipating the actions of other drivers, keeping a speed which is safe, staying a safe distance from other cars and keeping your eye on the road for possible hazards and risks.
Additional ways to drive defensively include:
- Stay focused: 20 percent of accidents involve distracted drivers.
- Pay attention to your surroundings: Check your mirrors frequently and scan the road for hazards and traffic ahead.
- Keep your pace steady: Obey speed limits and drive with the traffic flow. Don’t stop suddenly, change speed rapidly, or change lanes unexpectedly. Keep at least a single vehicle length of distance between yourself and the car ahead of you for every 10 miles per hour of your speed.
- Know about blind spots: Be wary of large trucks. Their drivers sometimes have difficulty seeing other pedestrians and vehicles.
- Increase your visibility: Use turn signals, turn your headlights on at dusk and during bad weather, and make sure all of your headlights and taillights are working correctly.
3. Wear Your Seat Belt
Lives are saved by buckling up. Seat belts saved around 375,000 lives from 1975 through 2017, according to the NHTSA. Establish a seat belt ritual. This ritual should consist of a simple movement sequence which becomes second nature to you.
4. Limit Passengers
Consider limiting how many passengers you have in your vehicle when first starting out as a driver. Extra passengers may serve as a distraction which increases accident risks.
5. Always Leave Early
Drivers who are in a rush might end up focusing more on reaching their destination in time than driving in a safe manner. Make a habit of leaving 10 minutes early or more – especially when the weather is poor. Leaving for your destination earlier in the morning can also mean you encounter less traffic and pedestrians, lowering the risk of an accident.
